Do you go from beginning to end, or do you write a little bit everywhere and then write in between to "glue" things together?
Do you progressively refine your writing through multiple drafts, or do you prefer to have it be somewhat refined from the start and move to the next piece only when the previous is polished?
Are there any particular sections that you prefer to start with?
Which sorts of sections do you find easy to write? Which are hard?
How do you come to realize what is the "tone" that you want to give your site?
Lastly, how long do you let your writing sit before you decide that you're good and ready to upload?
I'm curious to hear about all of your creative processes :D
Do you go from beginning to end, or do you write a little bit everywhere and then write in between to "glue" things together?
It depends on the character but I try to get the smaller pages out of the way first, if I can. Or if I have a really good idea for something specific, I do that first. So I don't really do anything in a specific order. For longer pages, I tend to write a little bit at at time between them all; right now, for my Rin shrine, I'm writing content for several of her relationships at once. This is just because I'm going through each chapter and adding info to each relationship as it appears. :D Once I'm done writing up the more factual parts, I then review them and begin writing the opinion-based stuff.
Do you progressively refine your writing through multiple drafts, or do you prefer to have it be somewhat refined from the start and move to the next piece only when the previous is polished?
I do try to go through at least one draft. For my Kyo shrine, I mostly wrote everything in one go, making some revisions as needed. I'm planning on going back through the site to make edits to my writing now that I've had some time away from the content. I find a bit of time and a clear mind makes going through content for polish a lot easier.
Are there any particular sections that you prefer to start with?
I usually do the basic profile section first. xD It's the easiest and it gives a good snapshot of who the character is. I do sometimes come back and edit it after I've written other sections if I feel that I need to better refine the basic introduction to the character. Also I love putting the links page together so I often do that close to the start too. XD I also usually like to write the background/history for a character (ie: their story before the series occurs) too.
Which sorts of sections do you find easy to write? Which are hard?
The hardest sections for me are usually the "personality" sections. It's really hard for me to write about the character's entire personality in one page. I feel that I explore all the aspects of their personality throughout my sites but when it comes to sitting down and doing an in-depth analysis, I always tend to get a little frustrated from lack of focus.
How do you come to realize what is the "tone" that you want to give your site?
I think this is done depending on who the character is and what their story is. I usually begin to figure out the tone of the site when I begin drafting the table of contents and then by the time I've written up their history I have a better idea. :)
Lastly, how long do you let your writing sit before you decide that you're good and ready to upload?
It depends entirely on how long it takes for me to finish a site. My Nyreen shrine was actually 90% finished in 2014 but because I couldn't figure out a layout before I got busy with work, it was never put online. So the writing has been sitting for almost 2 years! Under normal circumstances though, my writing usually sits until all planned sections of my site are finished and the layout is ready. I'm being a little more relaxed about having every single page 100% finished before putting my sites online but I still generally prefer to have everything done before the whole site is put up.
Do you go from beginning to end, or do you write a little bit everywhere and then write in between to "glue" things together?
I usually start out trying to go from beginning to end, but it never really pans out that way. What ends up happening is that I write a bit for one page that really ought to belong to another article, so I cut and paste it, which leads to me getting distracted with making more edits on the second page instead of the first, and so on. xD #justADHDthings
Do you progressively refine your writing through multiple drafts, or do you prefer to have it be somewhat refined from the start and move to the next piece only when the previous is polished?
Generally, my writing for each page is pretty much finished with the first draft, but I end up going back and refining each article in little mini-drafting sessions. There can be any number of these sessions--it goes until I feel like it's done.
Are there any particular sections that you prefer to start with?
It varies with each site. With my Jessie x James site, I began with the article "What They Mean to Each Other" and branched out from there, because it helped set the tone for the rest of the site, and I couldn't wait to write it. xD With my Eighth Doctor fansite (currently in production), I tried to begin with a play-by-play summary of the TV Movie, but I almost immediately jumped to writing a character study of the Eighth Doctor (and needing a tissue afterwards--oh the feels). So, apparently, I write the most feelings-laced article first! xD
Which sorts of sections do you find easy to write? Which are hard?
The easier sections for me are the ones which are more like literature essays, exploring and expounding on a deeper issue within the site's topic. I struggle with basic info sections because I want to make it approachable for a newbie without patronizing them--which means I get bogged down editing and re-editing, organizing and re-organizing. Sometimes I just skip the basic info sections altogether because they are just boring to write! LOL
How do you come to realize what is the "tone" that you want to give your site?
For me, tone just happens--sometimes it may match the tone of the original subject matter, but generally I use a conversational/easy-going tone, so that my readers can enjoy the site and take in information without even thinking about it.
Lastly, how long do you let your writing sit before you decide that you're good and ready to upload?
I've found that I need a period of sleep in between drafts/mini-drafts. This might be a 1 or 2-hour nap, or might be a full night's rest, but no matter how long I've rested, it helps me catch typos, unnecessary verbosity, formatting errors, etc. Once I feel like an article is "done," however, I wait 24 hours before uploading, and give it a final once-over before uploading, just to make sure. xD #justOCDthings
I love this topic! I enjoyed reading both of the other responses so far. Here's my own. :)
Do you go from beginning to end, or do you write a little bit everywhere and then write in between to "glue" things together?
I never go in any sort of order that makes sense, and this occurs for all of my writing (even my thesis). I write as much as I can for each one and then continue to add throughout the rest of the shrine creating process. I'm even doing that in this post right now...
Do you progressively refine your writing through multiple drafts, or do you prefer to have it be somewhat refined from the start and move to the next piece only when the previous is polished?
My writing requires multiple rewrites, but eventually I get to a point where I'm mostly happy with everything. I'm always revising, and I usually consider everything that I write as a "work in progress" because I'm never 100% happy with anything. Writing is and has always been my biggest weakness, and I would go through multiple revisions before coming up with something that I found acceptable which is something that has extended to my shrines.
Are there any particular sections that you prefer to start with?
I prefer to start with basics because it's easiest for me to write down, but it's not necessarily the easiest to format. These are things that don't usually require much external research as well.
Which sorts of sections do you find easy to write? Which are hard?
I struggle to write longer symbolism and analysis sections. This is something that I haven't ever been good at, even in school. If it's something that I also need to research, I struggle because I get burned out of doing that so quickly. The easiest sections for me to write are generally more personal and why I like the subject, because I love to rant about the things that I love to people. I've had a lot of practice. ;)
How do you come to realize what is the "tone" that you want to give your site?
This is something that I am still struggling with so I can't wait to read other people's answers. I'm not sure if I ever have a particular tone.
Lastly, how long do you let your writing sit before you decide that you're good and ready to upload?
It really depends, I suppose. I have a bunch of shrines that are mostly finished, but I'm not completely happy with them so I haven't uploaded them. They've been sitting there for two years.
Wow! Thank you all for your answers so far - I've been really enjoying reading them!
So to answer to them myself -
Do you go from beginning to end, or do you write a little bit everywhere and then write in between to "glue" things together?
As of lately I've realized that I find it easier to write in a non-linear way. It turns out that I am most in my element when I write down a few key phrases and then write everything else around them.
Do you progressively refine your writing through multiple drafts, or do you prefer to have it be somewhat refined from the start and move to the next piece only when the previous is polished?
I prefer to spend a long time on a small piece and then move to the next, or even work on several small pieces simultaneously if I land in the right zone. I revise everything several times after that, but the first draft stage is usually already pretty polished.
Are there any particular sections that you prefer to start with?
Usually there's a train of thought about the subject I'm writing that is what spurs me to write the site at all, so I start from there.
Which sorts of sections do you find easy to write? Which are hard?
I find introductions really hard. Now, after reading some of your answers, I am surprised to find out that I'm not the only one! I struggle with them because I am afraid of not having enough distance from the source material since I'm, well, writing a fansite about it, so I'm very insecure of whether my site is readable from the perspective of someone who doesn't know anything about what I'm talking about - which might not be the primary point of why I'm making the fansite, but I still would like to be able to PRESENT the thing that I love so much! Then, as Robin said, there's the problem of not sounding patronizing. And I'm afraid to fall flat if I try to inject a little bit of on the spot humor. The main thing is, I want to be able to catch attention at the very beginning, and I feel that pressure when I write the introduction. Essentially I'm constantly screaming at it: IS IT GOOD ENOUGH? IS IT GOOD ENOUGH NOW????
On the other hand, the sections I find easiest are the more analytic ones, since I tend to write them in a more free-form fashion. I get to touch many different things in the same place and just...happily ramble.
How do you come to realize what is the "tone" that you want to give your site?
I usually let the subject define that for me.
Lastly, how long do you let your writing sit before you decide that you're good and ready to upload?
At least a few days. I need the distance from it to be able to push the button. Which kinda sucks, because by when I'm done putting together the site I'm very excited to upload it...and so I have to remind myself to hold my horses and I'll thank myself later.
I love these kinds of topics - seeing the different ways people approach their shrines is so interesting. Thanks, dubiousdisc!
Do you go from beginning to end, or do you write a little bit everywhere and then write in between to "glue" things together?
I force myself to write mostly from beginning to end, yes. It's not optimal motivation-wise because I'm mainly making shrines so that I can write the essays I mean to write, and the observations and summaries made are the background needed to understand the significance of the points addressed in the essays. Especially in the case of character shrines, I try to have some narrative build-up, so I want page sections to build on each other (rather than repeating themselves or feeling off placement-/pacing-wise) - and, without having established a foundation yet, I can't write the continuation in good conscience.
It depends on the subject and size of the shrine though. Where pages within a section are only loosely connected, unrelated or "on the same level", I can allow myself to be laxer. Series shrines are also easier in this regard.
In the outline that comes first, however, I jump around and reorder my scattered notes all the time - before shrining and while shrining. So, the flexibility that I have with my outline makes up for the rigidness with which I phrase out the rest of the actual shrine content. Sometimes I write down entire phrases in the outline, rather than just notes or keywords, when I just happen to think of a phrase that I absolutely must remember to include later.
Do you progressively refine your writing through multiple drafts, or do you prefer to have it be somewhat refined from the start and move to the next piece only when the previous is polished?
I work with a refined outline, so I know the majority of points I want to make. When I write the respective pages, I don't move on until I'm entirely satisfied (unless I happen to have severe trouble with a specific subject), but I also know it's not necessarily the last version of that page. I continuously reread all the pages I've written as I work on a shrine, and refine as needed (especially to avoid repetition and to cross-link).
Are there any particular sections that you prefer to start with?
The index page, always - I love it! I try to introduce visitors to the subject on the index page itself, so it's a preface to both the subject and my approach to the shrine. On the index page, I try to set the mood and theme of the entire shrine. It's also nice to be able to talk about my motivations to make the shrine from the start, even if I keep it short, because I know I... won't get to see that element again until I've reached the end of the shrine and allow myself to write essays and "the site" parts, which are both some of my favourite parts aside from the index page.
One thing that is important to me is not to reveal everything on the index right away, whether about the subject, my interpretations or my feelings about it. That's also why I usually don't allow myself to write "the site" part until I'm done with the rest of the shrine despite loving that part - I don't want to risk covering something there that would make a fine essay on its own, or repeating what would eventually end up as a message scattered across the shrine or on one such essay page.
Aside from the index page, I like doing some kind of "first impressions" page on my character shrines in particular - not necessarily a basic overview of the character, but the way they are introduced in the narrative. That way, I can show how they develop or how that perception changes, and look back on that entire journey once I reach the conclusion of the shrine.
Which sorts of sections do you find easy to write? Which are hard?
All the things said above: free writing, especially about themes and personal impressions, are easy. Summaries are hard for me because I'm pedantic and try to include every element while describing and analyzing it due to my love for the subject, but that's very exhausting, and can be monotonous; even with observations and analysis in there, it feels like I'm not doing much "original work", so I often think of it as boring and tedious... There's also the issue of clashing audiences that I write to, which may not enjoy the same amount of detail in summaries, and context is important.
No matter what the ratio of "facts" to "free writing" is on my shrines, I always feel like I spend 80% of the time on summarizing facts because I struggle so much with it (including continuously referencing source material). Often, I procrastinate on my shrines or am stuck forever simply because I don't feel like going through this part.
How do you come to realize what is the "tone" that you want to give your site?
Aside from the subject itself, I let my perception of it guide me, and try to set that tone on the index page. I usually carve out a theme, motto, keyword or poem as the foundation of my shrine, and then write the rest around it.
Lastly, how long do you let your writing sit before you decide that you're good and ready to upload?
Since I reread the individual pages in isolation and as part of a whole over and over while working on the shrine and check them for various things, I don't need to spend as much time on the "final revision" once I'm done - by then, it's mostly checking one final time for cross-links, spelling consistency, etc. I usually upload the shrine on the day I finish or within 24 hours.
Both despair and ecstasy are part of the elements that compose a person.